Keep It Safe
by TheArmada4231
Summary: This is a little 3 part Zutara Drabble I wrote up that was inspired by some Fanart I saw. When Toph and Katara go exploring for too long, Zuko goes after them, getting into some trouble with Pirates.
1. Chapter 1

**Part 1: **

"Keep it safe for me, would you?"

Katara's words echo through the firebender's all-to-cluttered mind. He sighs, untying and retying the ribbony necklace around his wrist. The blue pendant swings around with each turn and hits his knuckles.

"I don't plan on getting caught, but if, for some reason, I do..." She had looked down at her hands uneasily, "I don't want it falling into the hands of some grubby pirate."

"I promise."

Zuko let's out another heavy sigh.

_I really should stop making promises to that girl..._

His small, cramped tent is dimly lit by a small lantern that sits in the dirt by his bed. It doesn't give off much light, but it's just enough to make it impossible to fall asleep.

That, and the fact that his friends have been gone for over two hours.

The pirate ship had docked by their makeshift campsite earlier that day. Sokka was the first to spot it. When he and Suki returned from examining it, the gang had been settled down around a small fire for some dinner.

"Maybe they're just refueling?" Aang had suggested, taking a sip of some tea that Katara had thrown together. Zuko shook his head.

"On a remotely deserted, Fire Nation island? That's unlikely." Sokka shrugged.

"They're probably just docking for the night and heading back out in the morning. We shouldn't worry about it." His mouth was full of fish, making it difficult to understand him.

But he was probably right, though it hadn't stopped Toph from being curious.

"I bet there's tons of valuable stuff on that ship," she said with a smirk. "I'd like to get my hands on some quality metal to practice on."

"Let it go, Toph," Zuko grumbled. "Whatever's on that ship isn't worth the trouble we'd face trying to board it."

"What? Are a group of master benders too scared to take on some bumbling pirates?" She taunted. Sokka cleared his throat.

"Ahem! I think you're forgetting about a couple of people...?" He raised an eyebrow and threw his arm around Suki's shoulders. Toph shrugged.

"Oh, sorry. A group of master benders, a skilled Kyoshi warrior, and Sokka." She smirked picking something out of her teeth. They all had a good laugh and the topic of the pirate ship had remained moot until after the sun had fallen beyond the horizon and the moon was high above the trees.

"At least let Zuko and I go!" Toph had pleaded, as Katara put out their fire.

"Leave me out of this," Zuko grumbled, trudging off to his tent. He spotted the earthbender sticking her tongue out at him in annoyance. He couldn't help but smirk a bit.

Aang put a reassuring hand on Toph's shoulder.

"They're just pirates." He said, calmly. "They probably only have some smelly scrolls and fish bones on that crusty, old ship anyway." He smiled at her and headed off to the tent that he and Sokka shared.

Zuko was halfway into his own tent when he heard Katara's hushed whisper.

"I'll go with you," she said softly. "I've been wanting to get my hands on a different water bending scroll for some time now. I bet they've got loads of them on there."

Zuko froze and turned his face to the girls. Toph was smiling brightly at Katara's offer. He straitened up and narrowed his gaze. He caught Katara's eyes, which seemed to beg him to stay quiet about her proposition to the blind earthbender. Zuko shook his head in defeat and retired to his bed.

It wasn't until later that night, when the rest of them had fallen asleep that Katara had come around to Zuko's tent. He sat up in his bed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I already told Toph that I don't want to go on your stupid pirate ship raid." Zuko was too busy trying to turn her away that he hadn't noticed that she had started to take off her water tribe necklace. He blinked in curiosity.

"I know. I didn't come here to ask if you wanted to come along." Zuko wasn't sure if she was being sincere, or snippy. It was too dark to see all of her facial features. She move into his tent and sat on the edge of his bed, cross-legged. Zuko didn't meet her gaze. Her thick, brown hair fell into her face, making her look less put-together than he'd ever seen her. And still, she looked beautiful.

Feeling vulnerable, being alone with the waterbender in a small, dark tent, Zuko lit the lantern beside his bed. The fire made her blue eyes shimmer. He noticed for the first time that they were swimming with worry. She clutched her necklace in her fist, tightly.

"You already know how much my mother's necklace means to me," Katara began. She reached out and took Zuko's hand and pried it open, so that the surface of his palm faced upward. She took a deep breath and slid the necklace onto his hand and closed it up. "Keep it safe for me, would you?"

Zuko slides his finger across the cold, blue stone and shakes his head. It had been too long. They should have been back by now. Frustrated, he stands, throwing the covers away from his body. He is stupid for letting them take off on their own. He is stupid for keeping quiet about their plans and he is stupid for letting Katara charm him into caring so much. He groans and blows out the lantern's flame. He wasn't going to risk Aang, Sokka, or Suki noticing that he was gone.

Quietly, Zuko steps out of his tent and into the undergrowth of the dark trees.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2:**

It isn't a long walk to the docks, but it's long enough for Zuko to regret getting out of bed. He'd stubbed his toe on several roots that had been hidden by the thick bushes that covered the dusty ground. His eyes burn from sleepiness. He can't tell if he's angrier at Katara for making the moronic plans, or himself,for letting her go through with them.

The pirate ship is almost deserted on the outside when Zuko arrives on the outskirts of the trees. He examines the outer haul of the ship and scrutinizes its open access points. He notices that there is a small window on an upper level that, if accessed, could be pushed open pretty easily. He frowns and takes of in a silent sprint.

The dark water sprays against Zuko's face as he steps, cautiously across the dock, pressing himself against the ship. He peers up at the window and wrinkles his nose in annoyance. What had look relatively large from through the trees, actually seems to shrink, the more he looks at it.

_That's going to be a tight squeeze._

Zuko begins scaling the side of the ship, using the cracks in the woodwork to haul himself up. When he reaches the window he peaks in, warily. To his surprise, the little cabin is empty.

_Huh, that's convenient._

"Hey!" A gruff voice calls from somewhere above him. Zuko looks up and rolls his eyes.

_Ah, shit._

A scabby looking pirate peers over the edge of the ship and points a sword at him.

"We got us a snake!"

Thinking quickly, Zuko sends a burst of flames through the little window and wriggles himself into the ship.

"He's down in the stock cabin!" another voice calls. Zuko's looks around the room. There are shelves lining each wall and each shelf contains an assortment of strange looking trinkets. He darts out of the room and runs through the corridor. No doubt, in a matter of seconds, he'll be overrun by pirates. He feels something bounce against his knuckle.

Zuko looks down at his wrist and swears under his breath.

_Katara's necklace!_

He growls, wishing he'd had the wits to leave it behind. If the pirates saw it, they'd take it right away.

Zuko quickly unties the necklace and panics, holding it in his hand.

"This way! I heard him running!" The voices of angry pirates echo through the ship.

Zuko does the only thing he can think to do with the necklace. He pops it into his mouth and presses it against his cheek.

That's when the pirates turn the corner. Zuko let's a rush of fire surge through the corridor. The pirates are unalarmed and rush for him. He lets rip another set of flames and takes off running again. The chase is quick to lead him to a dead end. He curses at his stupidity.

Zuko is cornered. He sends fireballs at the oncoming pirates, but they don't do much. Out of ideas, he looks around for any way to escape. An thought forms, but he is doubtful that it will do him any good.

He presses his hand against the wooden frame of the ship. With a powerful punch, Zuko sends a rocket-like force through the haul of the boat. The wood scorches and crackles underneath the flames and a gaping hole emerges in the works. Zuko smirks in triumph and turns to face the pirates, who are shouting angrily. One of them hold a bow and arrow, and draws the string back, letting a feather-tipped spear fly past Zuko's face.

He turns back and jumps through the hole in the ship, landing with a heavy thump on the dirt. It hurts like hell, but he takes off running.

_At least, if Toph and Katara are still in there, I've given them a distraction to work with._

Zuko runs, only making it about a few feet before feeling a sharp pain in his arm. He stumbles and looks down, finding that an arrow has pierced his bicep. He wants to scream, but it is muffled by the necklace, clenched between his teeth.

The pain slows him down and the pirates are on him before he realizes what is going on. They seize his arms and pin them behind his back, bringing him to his knees. He holds in his svreams of pain. They turn him so that he can see the ship. The damage he had done isn't as significant as he'd thought. Just a small hole that could be easily patched up.

A tall pirate with a a feather in his hat steps in front of Zuko.

"What were ye doing on my ship?" He barks. Zuko looks away, feeling blood trickle down his arm. He chews on the necklace to stop from screaming.

"I ain't gonna ask ye again, boy," the captain growls. Zuko looks up and sees beyond the pirate's shoulder. His eyes widen in shock at the sight.

There is a flash of blue and green on the ship's deck. Zuko has no doubts that it's Katara and Toph. They watch as Zuko kneels before the ship's captain, a bloody mess.

"Not a talker? Fine!" The captain draws his sword and spins it in his palm. Without much warning, he slams the hilt into Zuko's head. Before he blacks out, Zuko swears he sees Katara shake her head from the ship's deck.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3:**

It feels like someone is driving daggers into his arm.

"Did you see his scar?"

"It's the banished prince of the Fire Nation."

"What's he doing, washed up on some abandoned island?"

Their conversations give him headaches.

"Ozai would pay a high price for this one, I'm sure."

Zuko groans and tries to open his eyes. They fight him at first, but eventually, he is able to pry them open. He is tethered to two posts and on his knees still. They're cramped up pretty badly, making it impossible to shift his weight without feeling a ton of pain. And his arm...

His arm stings, but it's been bandaged with some pretty flimsy material. The blood seeped through it, painting it red, but it seems to have stopped. He clenches his jaw in agony and feels something heavy scrape his teeth.

Confused, he flips his tongue around in his mouth. The soft, soggy, ribbon slides against his gums. That's when he remembers popping Katara's necklace in his mouth for safe keeping. He is surprised that it worked.

"I heard that the Fire Lord wants him dead."

"Yeah, but I heard that he want to be the one to kill him."

There is a collective chuckle among the guards and Zuko rolls his eyes.

They've put him in a jail cell, although its the only one in the little room. The guard must be standing outside the door as they chat. Zuko tugs at the chains that hold up his arms and dig into his wrists.

_You really screwed up this time, Zuko._

A rattling outside the door makes him jump. The sound of something heavy hitting the floor peeks his curiosity. He shifts the necklace in his teeth and opens his mouth.

"Hey!" His words are muffled, but audible. "What's going on out there? Let me go!"

Another low thumping sound and something shatters. There is a short yell but it is quickly cut off, followed by another thump. Zuko clenches his fists together, feeling heat at his finger tips, but his arm hurts too much for him to do any bending.

That's when she walks in.

"Katara?" Zuko's muffled question makes the waterbender smile. She dangles a set of keys in her hands and moves quickly, unlocking the metal cage. Zuko drops the necklace from his teeth, at his knees. Katara raises an eyebrow in slight disgust but smiles, still.

_Why is she smiling? What's so funny!?_

She bends down in front of him and scoops up the wet necklace, stuffing it in her pocket with a silent thanks before working on the chains that hold his wrists. Her eyes fall on the bandaged wound and she frowns.

"What have you gotten yourself into this time, Zuko?" She says it without scolding, without irritation, but with a taste of laughter.

"Shut up," he says, wincing as she lowers his injured arm, gently. Katara only smiles wider.

"Toph said you wouldn't be able to resist a little adventure..."

"I only came because I was worried that you had gotten caught!" He snaps.

She shakes her head and chuckles.

"You have no faith in me, Zuko." He rolls his eyes and bites his lower lip to keep from yelling in pain, as she works to unchain his other wrist.

"What I lack in faith, I make up for in keeping my damn promises." He says through gritted teeth. Katara smirks.

"Yeah, thanks for that. It wasnt exactly what I'd had in mind, but I won't complain." She quirks an eyebrow and shakes her head.

"Would you two hurry it up in there!" Toph's sharp whisper cuts through the air from somewhere outside of the room. "I can feel some more of them coming this way!"

The final chain snaps out of place and Zuko flexes his fingers.

"Thanks," he says. Katara presses her palm against his cheek and smiles.

"No problem. I figured I owe you one." Zuko narrows his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Katara smiles, her cold fingers, lingering on the pink-skinned scar that marks his face. Their eyes lock and she almost laughs.

"This time, I'll save _you_ from the pirates."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**This really was just supposed to be one big part but I decided to elaborate and now... Here we are. **

**Its kinda dinky** **and sorta fluffy but whatever xD I had fun! **


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